MAIL

I vaguely remember that when electronic mail became the vogue in my house, I heard and began using the expression “snail mail.”  I wanted to adopt the techie jargon and to be a part of this new way of doing things.

I have since had a change of heart. I realize now that “snail mail” is a really unkind way to refer to one of the most accomplished, honorable, professional organizations that exist in our country today.

 Mail carriers are on par with fire fighters, police officers, and our military.  They help keep us functioning as a society. They are people who work hard every day—would you like to carry a mail bag in all kinds of weather all day?

Postal service men and women carry the mail across the country on 103 degree summer days and when the snow is feet deep. They hand deliver love letters,  college acceptance letters, Dear John letters and pictures of the first grandchild—all for a mere 44 cents per first class letter.

We are as a society an impatient and self-centered lot if we are willing to admit that about ourselves.  We complain about having to wait in line. There is even an ad that says, “There is nothing worse than having to wait in line.”   

Really?  Where on that scale do famine, heart disease and childhood brain cancer fit?

Waiting in line is something that we learn to do in kindergarten and it is something that we will do perhaps for the rest of our lives. It is an opportunity. The question is what are you doing with your opportunity?

Does the line go faster if you fume and fret or complain and disparage the workers who are helping other customers?  Do you enjoy your day better if you speak rudely and treat the worker serving you with sarcastic comments and a snarky attitude?

I am not suggesting that I like waiting in line. But I do accept it as part of living in a civilized society and I make an effort to do my part. Courtesy does not go out of style. I find that it makes my life work better.

So as part of my effort to treat the United States Postal Service and its hundreds of thousands of postal workers to the courtesy and respect that I want for myself, I am eliminating the phrase “snail-mail” from my vocabulary.  Snails, after all, do not travel across the country in a day or two.

This week my mail box was filled with Christmas cards that brought joy and delight to my life and my day. I thank my mail carrier for bringing them to me…for a mere 44 cents…a bargain at twice the price.